The Three Types of Trust

Trust is not a vague concept; it breaks down into three concrete areas:

• Company trust: Do prospects believe in your organization’s reputation and track record?

• Product trust: Do they believe your solution reliably solves their problem?

• Salesperson trust: Do they believe that you, the individual guiding them, understand their world and their needs?

In practice, trust is built through discovery questions, relevant anecdotes, proof points, and client references. It cannot be built late in the cycle—it starts forming at the very first interaction.

The Two Forms of Pressure

While trust builds confidence, pressure creates urgency. There are two common sources of pressure:

• Internal pressure: Deadlines, goals, or organizational needs that compel the buyer to act.

• Offer pressure: Compelling incentives or constraints—pricing, packaging, or timing—that make “deciding now” easier than “waiting.”

Case in Point

• A client of mine closed a deal in 60 days when their typical cycle was 8 months. The acceleration came from all trust levers firing (company reputation, product validation, discovery-driven salesperson credibility) and a platform deadline creating internal urgency.

• Another client’s acquisition elevated their company trust overnight, unlocking a massive new customer base. By pairing trust with an offer tied to pricing power, they delivered a single quarter equal to their best year ever.

Why Sales Teams Fall Short

Reps typically lean one way or the other:

• Trust-builders excel at relating to prospects but avoid creating urgency.

• Pressure-creators push hard but lack credibility or rapport.

Neither consistently overperforms. Top performers intentionally and systematically balance both.

Practical Actions for Leaders

• Audit your sales cycle against the five key levers: company trust, product trust, rep trust, rep-driven pressure (rooted in discovery), and offer-driven pressure.

• Enable reps to establish trust early through stories and discovery questions.

• Coach reps to use client’s own words to re-surface urgency when deals stall.

• Design offers that allow room to create pressure without eroding credibility.

The Core Principle

Trust and pressure must work together. Trust without pressure results in long, stalled cycles. Pressure without trust erodes credibility and damages reputation. But aligned, they create a natural momentum that consistently drives deals forward.

Sales leaders should continuously ask: What are we doing to strengthen trust? What levers of pressure can we give our team to drive urgency? The answers often spell the difference between hitting 70% of quota and exceeding 120%.